What A Few Seconds Can Do
by beisel76
Summary: I suck at summaries. Waren/Will. Warren and Will get togther after that fateful detention, much to the initial horror of many people. Leaving Will initially confused and the Gang curios. But what will come of it? Rated for language and sexual themes
1. Chapter 1

The moment when Lash tripped me and I accidently flung my lunch at you, I was dreading what I knew was to come. I knew you were going to kick my ass, but I never knew all the wonderful things that would come of those seconds when I was falling to the cold caffeteria floor and my food was flying towards your back.

The first thing I wanted to do was apologize for that nasty hit to the head you got from the whole table throwing thing, but you weren't letting that happen at all. Way to make me feel guilty, completely refuse my apologies and threaten to roast me alive when I try to make nice. Though to this day Layla holds that I wasn't _that _frightened of you, don't let her fool you. I totally believed that you were going to a). break my spine, b). roast me, or c). both.

But (thank god) you didn't get around to it, since the detention room made us normal (I use that term _very _loosly) for the entire hour we were in there. It felt like eternity, an eternity I had to spend forcing myself not to look at any part of you, or even in your general direction. I had this strange feeling most of the time we were in there that I was being watched, I just figured they had cameras on us or something like that.

Principle Powers let us go with about 20 minute of school left, and as she walked down to the opposite end of the hallway you grabbed my by my collar. Next thing I know you've got me shoved up against the cold tile wall and your face is only about in inch from mine.  
Then there wasn't any space, and I felt your warm lips on mine. You weren't exactly being rough, just dominating. That kiss dominated every part of me, from my lips to my toes you were in charge of every part of my body. and I don't think you even knew it untill later.

I felt your hand slide behind my head and something warm and wet run across my lips, I couldn't hold back the slight gasp the sensation caused, which allowed you to slip your tongue into my mouth. I remember thinking, _"Thank God I brushed my teeth this morning."_ as you first started exploring my mouth. You soon found out that the roof of my mouth was _incredibly _sensitive.

I slowly got up the courage to slide my tongue past yours and into your mouth, and when I did you started pulling me closer to you. It made me feel good, like you needed me for at least a little bit. As the kiss intensified I picked up the taste of cinnamon and maybe a little chinese food.

I didn't know how long we were making out in the bathroom, but when we finally broke the kiss I felt like a fish out of water. I had no air in my lungs, and judging by the spiratic rising and falling of your chest you didn't have much air either. Ever since then I've loved the smell of wood smoke, that was what your hair smelled like.

It wasn't until then that I realized you had wrapped your arm around my waist and were holding me close to your own warm body. It made me feel even more needed, even wanted.

When we had caught our breath you led me out into the hallway just as the bell rang. No one suspected anything, even as brushed your hand lightly over my ass.

I must have been blushing like an idiot when I got ont he bus, because Layla and zach kept bugging me about what happened in detention. When Layla used the phrase 'between you and Warren', I starting asking myself the same question she had asked me.

What had happened between Me and Warren in that Bathroom? Would it ever happen again? Those 2 questions kept me up nearly all of that night.


	2. Chapter 2

I personally don't think this one is nearly as good as the first chapter, but the third one is definitely good (I was concentrating on it and realized 'oh crap! I have to make sure everything is all neat and clean and makes sense!')

**milkchocolatehot64 – **Thank you so much! I hope I didn't make you wait too long…If you ever get tired with me not updating fast enough you should check my livejournal with the same user name. I'll usually post the new to the warren x will community there before I upload it here.

**Shadowphinix- **Thanks for adding this to your favorites, when I read that my jaw practically hit the floor.

**DarkAngel from Hell13 – **Wow! Favorite Authors _and_ Story Alert?! If that doesn't motivate me, I don't know what will.

**You guys totally made my Day, and I'll continue writing this for you since you guys apparently like it! **

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"Can I please stay home from school today Mom? Really, my life depends on it!" I begged as I sat at kitchen table eating cold cereal.

"Are you feeling sick Honey?" Mom asked as she finished wiping down the granite counter tops of her kitchen.

"I don't think there is an official diagnosis for it, but yes." I said as I tried to identify anything that might be causing my current symptoms.

Inability to focus, dreams about Warren, complete loss of certain bodily functions such as holding onto things or walking when Warren came near me, sudden feelings of nausea and heat, and dreams about Warren. Could it be muscle necropathy? Influenza? Measles? Mumps?

Mom walked over to me and placed the back of her hand on my forehead, then my cheeks. "No fever. Nausea?"  
"Yes."  
"Feeling anxious?"  
"You have _no_ idea!" I cried, hoping that answer would get me out of an inevitable confrontation with Warren.  
"I think your just nervous Will. Now grab your bag and head to the bus stop, Layla' is waiting for you."  
_"I am doomed"_ I thought as I hoisted my bag onto my shoulders and walked out of the door.

Layla was acting _really_ strange while we were walking to the bus stop, and while we were actually riding to school. Okay, maybe not so much strange as neurotic or curious even. She wanted to know everything I knew about Warren, what Warren knew about me, what we had done in detention, why I was running to catch the bus after detention, the list goes on and on until it hits the grimy floor of Ron Wilson's bus, okay? It was annoying, and suspicious, and incredibly un-Layla-like. Even Zach and Ethan were acting weird, like looking at me when they thought I wouldn't notice and suddenly looking away when I did. The only one who was acting remotely close to normal as Magenta, which in itself could be taken as a sign of the apocalypse.  
_"Great!" _I thought as I practically flung myself out of my seat and out of the bus door as soon as Ron opened it. _"Not only is my head gonna get blown off by an angry flame-throwing hottie, but the world is going to come to screeching-! Wait, what the hell did I just think?"_

I thought I was safe after making it all the way to the hallway where my locker was without seeing hide nor hair of Warren, but wouldn't you know it, _he was waiting_ _for me._

_"No, shit, shit, shit No!" _I thought as I quickly backed down the hallway and hid around the corner to wait for Warren to leave, which he didn't.  
He actually stayed a little while after the bell for first period had rang, but left after 5 minutes of standing my locker with an expression that looked kind of out of place on Warren. I could have sworn it was nervousness, but I was probably hallucinating. As soon as Warren left to go to his class, I grabbed my books and began hauling ass to get there before 15 minutes into one of Medulla's lectures, when I realized with a jolt that we had that class together now. Since my schedule was switched and I was now in hero classes.

I was completely and totally screwed. There was no way I was going to walk out of school when the last bell rang, I would be dead. Most likely due to spontaneous combustion or being roasted alive.

I was kind of worried when Will didn't show up at his locker; even 5 minutes after the bell rang. I could have sworn I saw him coming down the hallway, but I lost him in the crown and when I looked again he was gone. I thought I'd see if he remembered that his schedule had been changed, seeing as we had most of our classes together now.

Will came into mad science about 20 minutes late, which was about 10 minutes after I had walked in and sat down at my desk like I wasn't late at all. But Will looked kind of tired, like he hadn't gotten much sleep, and he was fairly jumpy for the entire class period. Actually, he was that way for the entire day; I didn't even see him at lunch.

Even worse, every time I tried to make eye contact with him he would quickly look away and would only look straight in front of him. Yes, he was definitely avoiding me. I was going to have to catch him some time before school ended to get a chance to talk to him. And we had to talk, I left some things unsaid yesterday, I'm sure he did too, I also wanted to see if we was interested in continuing this thing we had started, whatever it was. I actually did find him incredibly cute, especially when his lips were all swollen and puffy from kissing.

Whatever it was that was going on between us, I wanted it to continue. Hopefully minus the evasion, butterflies, and tripping over myself whenever I saw Will.

I decided that I couldn't hold it for the the last 20 minutes until class ended, but I didn't just need to go to bathroom. I needed a break from the stress of waiting for my head to be blasted from my shoulders by the person who I had decided (actually it was more like admitted) I had a crush on.

I walked to the farthest bathroom possible, and started running the water to wash my hands when I was done, when I heard this incredibly loud _'__**BANG!' **__**  
**_  
I turned around, and it was Warren, and he looked kind of pissed off, but not as pissed as I'd thought he would be.

"Well," I began. "Here we are again." _God, I am a moron.___

_"Yeah, we are, and you have been avoiding me." _Warren said, as he fixed me with a glare I wanted hide from. He was looking for something, most likely a truthful answer to his question.

"Warren, what are you talking about? I have not been avoiding you..."  
"Really? Look, if you're upset about what we did yesterday and you don't want it to happen again-."

"I'm not! I do!" I cried out quickly before he could continue with his sentence. I was surprised by his expression, he was kind of shocked.

"You aren't?! You do?! Well, that's cool because I kind of thought you were avoiding because you didn't want it to happen again. I mean, it is reasonable since our Dads are arch-enemies and all, but you do?"

"Yes, I do." I said nervously, stepping forward a little. I definitely did want us to keep doing this, it just felt more right than anything else.

There is no way to describe how relieved I was to hear that, except for that I was so relieved that I immediately closed the distance between us and planted a kiss on his lips. I brought my hand up to his cheek as the kiss deepened, he was incredibly soft to the touch, even his lips were soft.

I started backing us up to the counter where the sinks were, and lifted Will up onto the counter by picking him up by the thighs. I could feel the power in his limbs; it was the force behind the strength that had thrown me across the cafeteria and through walls yesterday.

I didn't know how much time we had until the bell rang, and I didn't really care. The only things that mattered, or even existed, were Me, Will, and what we were sharing now.

I started running my hands up and down his hips, which were actually pretty curvy for a guy, and he started shivering. I realized that it probably wasn't from cold, but I started to slowly burning his shirt off anyway as I skimmed my hands over the taught skin that hid most of his muscular physique. He was shivering and moaning now, moaning my name in a voice that was a little loose but still restrained by the fear of Principle Powers walking in at any minute (Which really isn't a legitimate concern since we were in the men's room, but for all we knew she could have other powers besides turning into a comet at will). I shrugged my jacket off and Will slowly and cautiously slipped his hands under my T-shirt and wife-beater and began running his hands along by back and shoulders. I gave a low moan when he trailed his fingers up my spine, and then that fucking bell rang.

Will nearly fell backward and hit his head on the mirror, while quickly took my shirt off and gave it to him to wear, since I had destroyed his a few minutes ago. He looked at me for a second, probably wondering either why I had burned his shirt in first place, or why I was giving him mine.

"What? I can't have Ethan or Layla staring at your chest the whole bus ride, now can I?' I said while giving my signature smirk and raising an eyebrow.  
We were almost to the door when I heard him ask; "Um, Warren? Where exactly does this leave us?"

_"Why does he have to be so cute when he's confused?"_ I asked myself, before I answered.

"Together Stronghold, it leaves us together." I answered as I pulled him in for another short kiss on the lips, before leading us out into the crowded hallway with my arm around his shoulder.

I slowly slipped away and to my own locker, and eventually to my own bus, but not before casting another glance at Will as he walked timidly beside Layla and Zack to their bus.

I hadn't had time to think of an excuse before Layla had asked me why I was wearing Warren's shirt, and honestly I couldn't care.

Warren and I were _together_, meaning_ I_ was _with_ somebody.

I avoided any odd questions from my parents and fell asleep that night with ease that I seldom found while trying to sleep.

And of course I had yet another dream about Warren, but this one didn't involve him blowing my head off.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you to everyone who read this fic's previous chapters, who alerted, and who favorited. I'm very sorry that it's taken so long, but I'm back! I have the fourth chapter almost done! Again, I'm very sorry for the wait!

It had been two weeks since that last day, the day when Warren had said that he and Will were officially together. Needless to say, that after two weeks of Will being perpetually late for the bus (Luckily Ron liked him), Warren being relatively calm unless Lash mentioned how hot Will's ass looked in gym, and the two being almost inseparable, the gang was getting a little suspicious.

Will had normally sat with them as they moved through schools, but now he sat at the table that he and Warren were the sole inhabitants of, where they would either engage in peculiar and intense staring contests or hold what seemed to be pleasant conversations. And to this day, Will was the only person to hold a conversation with Warren through the entirety of lunch, make him laugh and smile, and not suffer burns that anyone in even the senior class knew of.

At that moment, Layla was hissing under her breath to everyone else that was sitting with her, "Warren's giving Will _that_ look again!"

Zack looked over at the two boys, his confusion showing as he asked, "_What_ look?"

Magenta rolled her eyes and smacked Zack upside the head before replying, "It's only the same look that they always stare at _each other_ with. The same look they've been staring at _each other_ with for 2 weeks!"

Ethan pushed his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose before speaking. "I concur. The fact that they appear to be giving each other the same look would indicate that Warren's feelings, whatever they may be, are _reciprocated_ by Will."

Layla's head turned around to face him so fast that the terror of her horrified expression was only emphasized. "What do you mean _reciprocated_? Warren looks all goo-goo eyed, and Will- Will just isn't obsessing over _Warren_ like _that_! He wouldn't, not to mention the fact that he _couldn't_!"

Her outburst raised the eyebrows of everyone else at the table, and Magenta's quick tongue was certainly not going to let the opportunity to put the overbearing hippie in her place. "_Of course not_ Layla, _of course_ he couldn't. I mean, he just wouldn't! But if, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were _jealous_. Jealous of Warren Peace!"

Layla immediately blushed, huffed, and snapped her mouth shut; refusing to speak to anyone at the table. Then, she looked back over at her boyfriend, and saw him and Warren heatedly discussing something. They would each speak in rapid succession, and then steal glance towards their table.

Warren spoke, and then waited tensely for a reply from Will.

Will nodded his head.

Warren nodded his head.

The two got up with their trays, walked straight to the table where Layla, Ethan, Magenta, and Zack were sitting, and sat their trays down there.

Everyone was more than a little shocked, but Zack, Ethan, and Magenta, made extreme efforts to be polite, especially Magenta.

Will looked as if he was preparing himself for something, and Warren kept looking at him and had his hand on Will's under the table. Finally, after a very awkward ten minutes, Will began to speak.

"Uh, guys? There's something I- we – kind of, need to tell you. We're-" Will was cut off by the fire alarm at the worst possible moment.

Later, when the drill was over and the students were all going back inside the building, Magenta pulled Ethan and Zack away from Layla and locked the three of them in the janitor's closet. They both stared at her as if she was crazy (which they were fairly certain she was), as she put the key in her skirt pocket.

"Okay, you two have to have noticed what's going on between Will and Warren."

They nodded their heads, still not understanding why she had locked them in the janitor's closet.

"I take it that you have also noted Layla's reaction." Ethan said, looking as if he was about to go into puddle-mode.

"Yeah, so what do we do about it?" she asked him.

"Why are you asking us?" Zack cried from the corner farthest away from Magenta.

"I'm not asking you glow-boy, I'm asking Ethan." She said matter-of-factly.

"Then why am I here?" He asked hesitantly.

"One, I didn't want Layla to convert you, two, even you aren't stupid enough to not notice these things, three, you are Will's oldest guy-friend, and four, Me pulling only Ethan into a closet would have looked really wierd."

"Oh."

They stayed there in silence for a few seconds, Magenta was staring at Zack, Zack was staring at his shoes, and Ethan was the only one thinking about an answer to Magenta's question.

"Of course, Layla's having a crush on Will isn't going to help things at all, but we can be supportive, and hopefully convert her…Or find someone else for her to drool over." He thought aloud.

"Like who?" Zack asked, slightly horrified at the thought of playing matchmaker for the flower child.

"I don't know, how about Ethan…"

"No thank you, I'll have to decline." Ethan said, quick to clear his name of any potential.

"Okay, what about Speed?"

"Umm…No. Just…No." Ethan said, shaking his head to get that image out.

They heard the bell for their next class ring, and Magenta promptly unlocked the door. Fearing the wrath of boomer, they rushed to gym class.

"Hot-head, Stronghold, you're the heroes."

'Yeah, no shit Sherlock.', I thought to myself after putting on the gear for save the citizen.

I saw that chick waving at Will, and him waving back. I got pissed and snapped at him. I shouldn't have done that, after all, it's her I want to roast, not Will. He can't help being a dork.

One minute in, and Lash and Speed had already moved themselves almost to the top of my 'Cook Well' list.

I realized a bit too late that I was yelling at him a bit too much. I was so pissed, that even after he saved my from that damn vortex, and we won, I didn't talk to him. I didn't even look at him. When I was walking to the bus, I saw Will's face through the window of Ron Wilson's bus. He looked like he was on the verge of tears; his eyes were glazed over, staring blankly at the back of the seat in front of him.

'_Way to go Peace,'_ I thought, _'You really fucked that up.'_

I went ahead and got on my bus, remained silent all the way home, walked briskly through the front door of the home I shared with my Mom, and locked my bedroom door as soon as I made it through the doorway.

For the first time since I came to grips with who my Dad was, I buried my face in my pillow and bawled. When My Mom got home at 6pm from a 'situation' in Wyoming, I was still bawling. At that point, I wasn't shedding tears anymore; I didn't have any left.

"Warren, honey, what's wrong?" she asked through the door.

"Nothing." I lied.

"You know better than to lie to me Warren! You don't have to unlock this door, and you don't have to come downstairs, just tell me what's wrong."

I have to hand it to my Mom; she didn't expect much from me. Good grades, no criminal record, honesty, trust, faith, and love were all she had ever wanted from me. She asked me questions, instead of looking in my mind for the answers. I always appreciated that.

I lifted my head from the pillow and called, "You can unlock the door, if you want."

I heard a metallic click and her soft footsteps, masked by the soft carpet. She sat down on my bed, in the semicircle my torso created in my fetal position. I heard her take off her gloves and place them beside her, then she starting running her hands down my back.

"Was it something that happened at school?" she asked me.

"Yeah."

"A girl?"

"No."

"A boy?"

"Yeah."

"Well, Principal Powers called, and told me about 'Save the citizen', does it have something to do with that? By the way, I'm proud of you." I could tell that she was smiling at me.

"Yeah, it's the boy I was working with."

"What happened?"

"You know that."

"Was it something one of you did?"

"No."

"Was it something one of you said?"

"Yeah, it was something I said and did."

"What did you say?"

"I snapped at him, and then I ignored him."

"Why would you do that?"

"I was mad, but not at him, but it has something to do with him."

"You were Jealous." She put it together.

"Who were you Jealous of?" She brought the school yearbook from last year, and I started flipping through the pages. I reached the section for her class, and pointed to her picture. Mom took a few seconds to look at the picture.

"She's very pretty; she reminds me of someone who was in my class. Let me guess, she stole your man."

"She's trying to, and so far, is succeeding."

"That bitch. I brought pizza and subway home for dinner. What do you say we plan your revenge over dinner?"

I smiled, and followed her down the stairs. I had an awesome Mom. She almost made me forget about the stabbing pain going through my chest.


	4. Chapter 4

Over the next couple of months, after seeing the miserable state that both Will and Warren were in, Layla started to reconsider. If she had a choice between losing Will to Warren, or losing him to _that bitch_, Warren would be her choice. What made her feel _really_ bad was that she knew her reaction when Will had told her about his relationship with Warren was part of why he was with _that bitch_ now. She had tried to mask her surprise at her suspicions being affirmed; it was final that Will wasn't in love with her. He had interpreted this as disgusted surprise and had promptly accepted Gwen's invitation as his homecoming date.

She realized that either way she would lose, but if Will were with Warren they could still be friends, and she wouldn't lose him completely. She started coming up with a new plan. After all, as Will's best and oldest friend it was her duty to make sure he was happy. She hastily put on her shoes, gave a quick good-bye to her Mom, and headed towards the paper lantern.

Will was shocked and horrified. He had thought that Gwen had cared, that he could trust her. But her obvious deceit made it clear that he had been wrong. She didn't care that he would take the heat for the mess all of her guest would make. She did seem pretty shocked that he had dumped her though. After all, it was the night before homecoming.

He had left himself without a date, without a back-up plan, and without friends. What the hell was he supposed to do now? He should have realized that Gwen was leading him on, using him. He should have realized that she didn't care, that she wasn't who he wanted her to be. She wasn't Warren Peace.

She didn't kiss him the same way, she didn't look at him the same way, and she hadn't made him feel anywhere near as good. Not to mention, he wasn't nearly as upset about breaking up with her as he had been when it was Warren.

Meanwhile, walking briskly down the sidewalk towards her own home, Gwen Grayson was fuming. She had been dumped the night before homecoming, by a complete dork. She was starting to like him, but had ditched those feelings to accomplish her plan. Even worse; she had been dumped for a hippie. She was going to get her revenge, because the recent events had put her ultimate plan on the edge of a knife.

It was with a sickening lurch that Will realized that the pacifier was missing. Then he put it together, Gwen looked like Sue Tenny because she was Sue Tenny's daughter. Sue Tenny disappeared after high school because she became Royal Pain. Royal Pain's Pacifier was gone because Gwen was taking it to homecoming.

If Gwen still had a grudge against her parents, and she had the pacifier, his parents were in trouble. His friends were in trouble. Warren was in trouble. Will rushed for the phone, Ron Wilson's card in hand. He didn't have a plan, but he knew he didn't have time to think one through.

"Flower Child, don't kiss my boyfriend." I said as she got even closer to Will.

What can I say? It was a happy moment! Will had apologized, Layla had actually said she was cool with us, Magenta was starting to not be cruelly sarcastic to Zach; I thought that was the last needed touch. Will started blushing, and we shared a short kiss.

Our friends, loveably annoying as they were, didn't need to know what I had been wanting to do to him for the last few months. No need to clue them in either. We separated after a few seconds, but I held his gaze for a few more, before we had to go fight separate villains. I hoped that he understood my eyes; if he didn't come back in one piece, that bitch was going to die.

As soon as I saw Will going through the window, I powered up. Layla took a step back from me as I rushed Royal Pain. I tackled her, and pinned her to the ground easily enough. I had my right fist dragged far enough back to break through her helmet and more than likely her skull, but I didn't hit her. I heard a sound like wind, except that I knew the school was too high up to experience wind. I looked up, and saw Will floating between two gray clouds.

I rolled off Royal Pain, allowing him to knock her out. I allowed Layla the first hug, but I held his gaze while she took it. It wasn't a huge loss, I would undoubtedly have a more personal reunion than her. Then the school started to drop. I didn't want Will to fly out again, I was too worried about all the different ways that the school could crush him.

But as soon as the school stopped moving, and I felt us go up a bit, I knew he was fine. He had saved us.

After the music started, Will Stronghold and Warren Peace found themselves on the school roof. At first, they just sat next to each other, staring out at the sky. Neither could find the courage to break the silence. Warren was the first to move however; he wrapped his arm around Will's waist, pulling him a little closer. Will was surprised, but he didn't pull away. Instead, he blushed and looked down at the roof he was sitting on. After a few minutes like this, Warren put his face in Will's hair, and brought his lips near to his ear.

"You know, I kind of missed you Stronghold."

"Yeah, I missed you too."

There was more silence, but Will was the one who broke it this time.

"Warren?'

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry."

Warren pulled back a bit, so that he could get a better look at Will's face. He was blushing, but his eyes looked sad.

"For what?"

"For cheating on you, with Gwen."

"It's okay; I was a dick to you. Besides, you broke up with that hag."

"Yeah but-" Will began to protest, but his words were smothered by Warren's mouth.

It took a few seconds for everything to register, for the all of the loose ends to tie together. Once that happened, Will's brain started functioning again, and he started kissing back. Warren brought his left hand up and behind Will's head, deepening the kiss. Will, whose limbs had long ago stopped obeying his brain and had turned loyal to his hormones, wrapped themselves around warren's neck.

Warren, on a whim, decided to wrap his remaining hand around Will's waist, to give him enough leverage. Then he pulled Will over towards him, to land on top of him. As the kiss deepened further, their lungs ached for air; they were forced to break apart.

When Will closed his eyes as he tried to catch his breath, Warren seized his opportunity. He quickly shifted his weight and brought the side of his body up, putting himself over Will. Will's eyes were wide open and glued to Warren's face.

Warren gave a predatory grin as he lowered his face to hover inches above Will's. They stayed there a few seconds, before Will, to the surprise of them both, lifted his head to bring their lips together again. He didn't know why, but he knew that he wanted that physical connection. But he realized that the connection went far beyond the realm of the physical, and that that very fact alone may have been why he wanted it. Every time he came into contact with Warren, it seemed as if the touch went through his flesh and into his soul.

Warren, having thoroughly explored Will's mouth, moved down to his Jaw, and lingered for a few seconds over the sensitive flesh beneath his ear, planting kisses in a line down Will's neck. Will, being inexperienced, had a problem holding back his gasps and low moans. Warren casually slipped his middle and pointer finger between his lips to ease the problem. It wasn't that he minded or didn't appreciate the noises, he just wanted to move on to something else.

Every once in a while he needed to add something to the routine, or he would get bored. At least, that was how it had been with all of his other lovers. He always needed something new thrown into the scenario, or he would turn away. However, he hadn't felt any sort of emotional connection with his previous lovers. When it was Will he was kissing, the emotion was almost palpable. It reached into his mind and soul.

A honk of a car horn brought them back to reality, and they hastily separated for fear of being seen. Warren kept his arm around Will's waist, and Will placed his head on Warren's shoulder as they resumed sitting positions. After a few minutes of watching the stars shine above them, their peaceful world was shattered once again.

This time it was Magenta, Ethan, Zack, and Layla. They had come to drag them back to the dance floor for the last song of the night. The two boys exchanged looks, not sure if they should dance together. People might notice. Wait, no, this was High School with Warren Peace and Will Stronghold! People would most definitely notice if they dance together. Warren, always reliable for a rebellion against better judgment, was the first to get up.

When he offered Will his hand, the slighter boy took it without question. The group walked down the maintenance staircase the others had come up by, and made their way to a corner. Magenta and Zack were the first to go off into the crowd, followed by Layla and Lash. Then a girl in their class who could change her skin composition took Ethan to the dance floor. When they were well out of earshot, Warren and Will started snickering.

"They can melt together!" Warren said, doubled over with laughter.

They stayed there a few seconds, not really paying attention to the world around them. Then the song changed. Even though it was sappy as hell, and they were both kicking themselves for doing it, they found themselves inching closer together.

_Look into my eyes - you will see  
What you mean to me  
Search your heart - search your soul  
And when you find me there you'll search no more_

Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for  
You can't tell me it's not worth dyin' for  
You know it's true  
Everything I do - I do it for you

They laced the fingers of their left hands together, and Will moved slightly in front of Warren, leaning back against his chest.

_Look into your heart - you will find  
There's nothin' there to hide  
Take me as I am - take my life  
I would give it all - I would sacrifice_

Don't tell me it's not worth fightin' for  
I can't help it - there's nothin' I want more  
Ya know it's true  
Everything I do - I do it for you

They shared a quick glance, and Warren wrapped his right arm around Will's shoulders, pulling him back against him.

_There's no love - like your love  
And no other - could give more love  
There's nowhere - unless you're there  
All the time - all the way_

_Oh - you can't tell me it's not worth tryin' for  
I can't help it - there's nothin' I want more  
I would fight for you - I'd lie for you  
Walk the wire for you - ya I'd die for you_

They swayed together with the rhythm, dancing in place in way that was more emotional than physical. Warren kissed the back of Will's head, and layed his head in between the other boy's shoulder and neck.

_Ya know it's true  
Everything I do - I do it for you_

Will could distantly hear his parents calling him, ready to go home. He looked up at Warren, apologetically. Warren smirked, and brought his lip closer to Will's ear.

"Love you. I'll see you on Monday." Warren slid his hand from Will's, and went off towards the parking lot. As a member of the board, his mother was present, and had been the one who dropped him off.

They had saved the world, gotten back together, and eliminated the most pressing threats to their relationship in one night. Over all, they thought it had ended well.

When her husband lay asleep beside her in their bed, and her son had already fallen asleep in his own room, Josie Stronghold looked up at the ceiling of her bedroom. She was contemplating everything she had experienced that night, most of it having to do with her son.

She had seen the way he Warren looked at each other, had seen his behavior over the last few weeks diminish in one night, and had seen them flying up to the school roof. She knew what was going on up there, she didn't have to look.

It wasn't a problem by any means. She had known that Will and Layla lacked the proper chemistry, and had noticed Will's lack of interest in girls when he was younger, but it still surprised her to see him with Warren.

It wasn't because of Warren's gender, or even who his father was. What bothered her was that Will hadn't told her. After the disappearance of Will's younger sister, the two had grown very close. Will told her everything. She had expected to be privy to information regarding his sweetheart; that was all.

Now, of course, she knew how her husband would react. Steve always assumed he misheard until he was forced to come to grips with whatever it was that he didn't want to hear. He wouldn't spurn their son for being gay, or for who he was with. He would however, make Warren's life a living hell until he found him worthy of Will.

To be fair, Steve would have done that to any boyfriend of Will's, or of Elizabeth had she still been with them. What set the deck against Warren, was something he had absolutely no control over.

Warren Peace was Baron Battle's only child. Warren was the only living proof of his existence. He looked so remarkably like his father that it was fitting for Warren to be the only child. It would take a while for Steve to warm up to the boy, but it would happen.

Maybe a call to Warren's mother would help.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's note: I know it's been forever, and I am directing my apologies to all of the readers who did not send me hate mail. You guys are awesome. The last year's been pretty rough, I was severely depressed and every time I tried to write it came out so awful and hateful. But, everything's good now, and I'm back!

The rest of the month of November was uneventful, apart from the first semester exams. Thanksgiving had been a negotiated ordeal between Josie Stronghold and Gloria Peace. While and Warren were relieved to have the support of their mothers, they both were expecting an explosion from Steven Stronghold as soon as he found out why they were having Thanksgiving dinner together. Normally the Stronghold family would have gone to either of the Grandparent's houses, but Steve was more than happy to forgo the twelve-hour drive.

Josie and Gloria were the two main conversationalists, trying to involve everyone at the table. All conversation remained somewhat awkward and frosty however, and Will and Warren took the first opportunity to get away from their mothers. Josie and Gloria were in the kitchen cleaning up and talking in hushed whispers, while their sons were in the living room.

Warren was observing the pictures on the wall, and Will was flipping channels. A few seconds later, they heard the cellphones going off. The other cellphones.

"Will, Warren? It looks like we all have to go. We'll be back as soon as we can." Josie said, kissing Will on the forehead as she headed toward the Secret Sanctum.

"Have fun boys." Gloria said as she followed, ruffling Warren's hair as she passed them.

The commander clapped them on the shoulders, "Don't get into trouble now boys."

After hearing them take off, the boys let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank God that's over!" Will said as he plopped down on the couch and started flipping through channels on the TV.

Warren was still looking at the family pictures. The smiling family of three, pictures of the grandparents, and even the pictures of all three members of the family through their awkward stages of development were explainable, but there were a few photos that weren't.

There was a baby girl, as indicated by the pink blanket that wrapped her, who separated from the camera by an Incubator and the observation window of the Neo-Natal ICU. She was tiny, obviously premature, with her tiny eyes clamped shut.

There was another picture, of a younger Mrs. Stronghold holding the newborn baby girl in her arms as she lay in a hospital bed, with Will and her husband by her side. Will looked like a toddler, maybe three or four years old. The picture was dated June 18th, 1993.

There was another photo of her over the mantelpiece, but she was older, maybe three years old, it was dated 1996. She had curly reddish brown hair, and bright green eyes. Her forehead was a bit wide, and she looked awfully thin and pale, as if she was sick.

"Hey babe, who's this?" Warren asked, pointing to the girl.

Will walked over to look, but his eyes turned dark as soon as he laid eyes on the picture.

"That's my sister, Elizabeth. She died a few weeks after that picture was taken."

Warren looked at his boyfriend, "I'm so sorry Will… How did she die?"

"She was born too early, thirteen weeks, so she was always prone to getting sick. We were so used to it, but she got some sort of flu I think, and…it killed her."

Warren wrapped his arms around Will and steered him towards the couch. Will started to cry into his shoulder, but Warren didn't mind. He knew that Will attached himself to people, and that it had probably devastated him to live her death the first time.

"Let me guess: your dad is so overprotective, in part, because of her death."

"Yeah, it was hardest for him. She was his little girl. She got her powers awfully early though…"

"What were they?"

A smile crossed Will's face, "She could fly, and she could make herself intangible by doing something to her molecules. I was so jealous."

The two boys decided to watch a movie until their parents got back, and fell asleep on the coach. Luckily, Josie and Gloria were the first ones home, and were able to wake them up before Steve saw the position they were in.

After thanksgiving, the students had exam preparation, and after that, they had to take the first semester exams. Will would have been freaked out if Warren hadn't been tutoring him in Hero History and Mad Science, but the gang survived to see Christmas Break.

Since Will's parents had won the trip to Hawaii for their sales, Ms. Peace was more than happy to have the Warren stay with Will over the break.

It ended up being an endless run of Christmas movies, action movies, sci-fi movies, junk food, and soda, until Warren pulled a specific movie out of his bag.

"I love this movie." Warren said, putting the disc into the DVD player.

Will picked up the case, and looked at the cover. His eyes widened almost immediately when he saw the title.

"The Descent?"

"Yep."

"What kind of movie is it?"

Warren sat back on the coach, putting his arm around Will's shoulders.

"You'll see."

Thirty minutes in and Will was jumpy, but when the crawler popped up behind that one woman, he actually screamed. It wasn't a girly scream, more like an 'oh-jesus-christ-save-my-ass!' scream, but Warren chuckled anyway.

He pulled Will into his lap, and put a finger over his lips. When the movie was over, Will was practically in the fetal position with his arms tucked tightly inwards. He only noticed that his head was against Warren's chest when his boyfriend started chuckling at his behavior again.

"It's not funny!"

"It's just a movie."

"Yeah, but thanks to you, I am going to have nightmares!"

Warren threw his head back a bit, but rolled over so that he was on top of Will, who was lying on the coach. He had that overly satisfied smirk plastered on his face, and Will's eyes had once again grown to the size of dinner plates.

"What if I kiss it better?" Warren asked, still smirking and bringing their lips even closer at a tantalizingly slow pace.

It was no different from any of their other kisses, until Warren's hand crept under Will's shirt. With the first contact having been made, Will slowly lifted his hands to Warren's back, pulling the older boy's shirt up in the process. Distances between skin and skin were closed; gasps were elicited as treacherously sensitive areas were touched.

When they broke apart for air, Warren pulled his shirt off, and proceeded to burn away Will's. As Will fought to regain the use of his lungs and brain, Warren leaned in and began to nibble on his boyfriend's bottom lip.

"Warren?" Will asked the other boy, propped up on his elbows and still trying to catch his breath.

"Yeah?" Warren asked, still nibbling on Will's bottom lip and moving his arms around his boyfriend's waist.

"What are we doing?"

Warren stopped nibbling on Will's lip to actually consider the question. Will laid back against the coach and closed his eyes. Warren leaned back, only then realizing that he had been straddling Will's waist the whole time.

When he thought about it, he was trying to go on to the next step. In most of the relationships he had been in, that next step had been sex. He was getting the feeling that there were quite a few steps in between when it came to his relationship with Will. It had always turned out that after he had sex with someone the relationship dwindled away. But this time, with Will, he had a connection that was more than physical, which led him to believe that he had to hit those in between steps.

After all, Will was the Commander's son, and since he and Warren were bound to have a rocky start anyway, it wouldn't help to screw Will without any blessing of any sort. Even though it was clear that their Moms were aware and in favor of their relationship, the real hurdle would be coming out to Will's dad. Then there was the small, insignificant fact that Warren was Barren Battle's son. It just kept getting better and better.

After the Strongholds got back from Hawaii, which preceded an uneventful Christmas at Grandma's, school started up again. It was monotonous and mundane work, but it helped Will settle in to his relationship with Warren more easily. He didn't have to face his father's questions for a majority of the day, and their mothers didn't get a chance to bug them about it.

No one in the school dared give the two a second glance when they were seen together, but that luxury ended when Speed, Lash, and Penny returned from their stint in solitary. For the most part, they were ignored however, for no one was quite willing to forgive them yet. Being turned into an infant was not how any of the students had wanted to spend their Homecoming night.

The routine came to an end when Will's dad asked to talk to him in private one day, after he returned from a mission. The first alarming fact was how early he was home, and that his Mom was not with him.

"Hey Dad? Why are you home so early? And where's Mom?"

Steve Stronghold went into the kitchen and set about making himself a tuna salad sandwich. Will followed, trying to hide his anxiety.

"Your Mom's having a girl's night with some of her friends. She said that you and I should spend some time together."

Will let out the air he had been holding in his lungs in pure relief, but then his Dad turned towards him again, still spreading Tuna on a slice of white bread.

"Oh, yeah! I almost forgot, she said there was something you wanted to tell me."

'_Thanks Mom'_, Will thought to himself with heavy sarcasm. This was so like her. She got tired of waiting for him to broach the subject, so she did it for him. There was just one problem: she wasn't here to help out. He was on his own, in a one-on-one with his Dad. He let out another sigh, and closed his eyes.

"Actually, there are a couple of things. One, is that I'm gay. The other is that I have a boyfriend."

He had hoped the last piece of information that he had withheld might save him from all out total fury, and he hadn't been wrong. However, The Commander's eyes were wide, and he was staring blankly at his son.

"Is this another of your jokes?"

"No Dad, I am gay and I have a boyfriend. I am 100% serious."

The Commander fell silent, and looked into the space in front of him contemplatively. After a few seconds, which created what felt like the longest and most awkward silence in Will's life, he turned back to his son.

"Alright then."

Will felt like he was going to fall over backwards. Had his Dad really just said that? Then again, he didn't know who his boyfriend was yet either…

"Oh…okay then. I'll just go upstairs and…do my homework." Will said, turning around and heading towards his room in utter relief.

He only made it a few steps before his Dad snapped his head back up to look at him, "Oh, wait a second! Who's your boyfriend?"

'_Oh shit.'_

"Warren Peace."

Steven Stronghold dropped his half-eaten Tuna sandwich on the floor, and stared blankly at his son for the second time that night. His face started the process of turning tomato-red as his eyes bulged.

"Barron Battle's son?" The superhero yelled, pounding his fist on the kitchen island and sending the kitchenware on top of it into the air.

Will started trying to shrink himself into the wall behind him, "Yeah."

Steven Stronghold walked up to his son and started shaking him by the shoulders.

"Will! He's trying to seduce you to get revenge against me!"

Will threw his head back and laughed, finding the idea hilarious. He knew that Warren's relationship with his Dad had been rocky since his parent's relationship had started going in the same direction. Warren was an unashamed Mama's boy.

"Dad, he wouldn't do that, for so many reasons!" he said, fighting to stop laughing.

"Will, what you think you know about him doesn't matter! Hero's kids end up heroes and villain's kids end up villains!"

Now Will was angry. "You don't know anything about Warren! Not to mention the fact that he's been raised by his Mom, who is **Harmony**. Last time I checked, she is one of the greatest psychic heroes in the world!"

His Dad couldn't contest that, and having seen Will's reaction, he was starting to think he might have misjudged the situation. Be that as it may, he still had to be sure. After Elizabeth, he wasn't losing another child.

He put his head in his hands for a few seconds, and Will waited for his response.

"Okay." He said.

Will was having déjà vu, once again feeling as if he would tumble backwards. What was with the one-word replies to very important sentiments?

"What do you mean 'okay'?" he asked, chancing moving a few steps closer to his Dad.

"I don't mind if you see Warren, but this is going to work just like if he was any other boy. You're going to invite him to dinner this Friday so that he and I can have a man-to-man talk."

"You mean so that you can _harass_ him?" Will asked, not sure if he liked this plan either.

"What are you so worried about? We have two weeks left of school, our exams are over, yet you're so nervous you jump when a leaf falls. What's wrong with you?" Warren asked, his arm around Will's shoulders as they walked up to the school.

"I came out to my Dad."

"So why are you worried? That's a good thing!" Layla said.

"Yeah, I know. The bad thing is that he wants to harass Warren either before, during, or after dinner at my house _tomorrow_."

"It can't be that bad, my Dad did the exact same thing to Zack, and he's alive." Magenta said while pulling her boyfriend over to show that he was indeed alive.

Judging by the look on Zack's face however, he disagreed. He still had nightmares about being chased down by a shape shifting man wearing a dapper suit and tie. Her Dad's cover was a jewelry outlet, while her Mom had a PhD in psychology. Her Dad could shape shift into any animal, while her Mom wasn't a super.

Havingreceived very little comfort, Will headed to the freshman hero class. Since there were only about 25 freshmen to begin with, both the hero and sidekick classes only had about a dozen people in it. Because of the small class size, it was only a matter of time before he had to personally deal with his teachers. The most dreaded ones were Boomer and Medulla, But Mrs. Haskin's history class was pretty fun. It was one of the few classes where comic books counted as research material.

The end of Thursday came quickly, and School went by excessively fast for Will's liking on Friday. Warren was supposed to come to the house at six for dinner, and Will was dreading it. When he heard the doorbell ring, he rushed to answer the door before his Dad could.

When he opened the door, the first thing he noticed was how Warren was dressed. He was wearing jeans, but wearing a black short-sleeved polo and having his hair tied back were bound to help his image with Will's Dad.

"Hey." He said, walking through the doorway and past Will's wide eyes.

"Hey." Will answered stupidly, still looking at Warren's face.

Warren took off his jacket and hung it up by the door, and squared up with Will, taking his hand in his.

"How are you holding up?" he asked, looking into his boyfriend's eyes.

Will nodded, "I'm doing okay."

Warren nodded, and kissed Will's forehead. He led him into the dining room, where Mr. and Mrs. Stronghold were already waiting with the table set up.

The dinner conversation was good and not awkward, and Warren's good manners had to have scored him some points, but Will could see the steely defiance in his Dad's eyes when he looked at Warren. He was so dead set against Warren, for something he couldn't help.

After dinner, Will and his mom cleared the table and went into the kitchen to wash up the dishes. Warren and The Commander went past the living room and into the study. That was what clued Will, Josie, and Warren in to the severity of the situation. Steve didn't want them to interfere or hear the conversation; he wanted it to just be between him and Warren.

The two sat down in chairs facing opposite each other, and Steve leant forward and spoke first.

"If this ends up being a part of some plan for vengeance for your father, and you hurt Will, I will personally make you regret being born."

Warren leaned forward, "First, I have no relationship with my father, you seem to have forgotten the part where he ditched my Mom. Second, I would never hurt Will because I love him. Any questions?"

Steve nodded, and stood up. Warren followed his lead. Steve stuck out his hand, and Warren took it. They shook hands until they were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Boys, dessert's ready!" Josie Stronghold said after poking her head through the door.

The later part of the evening was much lighter then the first, and when Will walked Warren home afterwards, they were both smiling.

"How many other problems do we have to fix now?" Warren asked.

"Well, our parents are okay with it so, so we can cross that one off the list. So are our friends, so I guess that one can go too… I can't think of any others." Will answered, leaning against Warren's shoulder as they walked down the sidewalk.

The weekend of the last week of school, Mr. and Mrs. Stronghold and Ms. Peace were called to a superhero conference in DC, which left Will and Warren by themselves for the weekend. Will decided to invite the entire gang over for a 'yet-to-be-determined' party.

It ended up being a 'Take-out and Movie marathon party', and everyone was supposed to bring their own movie. At least, that had been the original plan. They ended up watching all of the scary movies while eating store-bought cookies and cheesecake, after destroying five cheese and three pepperoni pizzas.

Ethan was the first to leave, saying he had to be up early the next morning to go to his cousin's wedding or something like that. Zack walked Magenta home about an hour later, and then went to his own home, leaving Will, Warren, and Layla by themselves. Two movies and two containers of cookies later, and Layla had to go home.

As soon as she was out the door, Warren pulled Will into his lap and started kissing him. After a few minutes of this, Warren pulled away and explained, "I've been waiting to do that all night."

The two fell asleep on the mound of blankets and pillows the group had pulled downstairs hours before, Will's head on Warren's chest, and Warren's arm hooked around Will's waist.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Alright! Here we go! No distractions, no tangents! Let the fic begin! I've been wondering for a while where I was going to take this fic now, but now I know!

A throng of students rushed through the doors to the Sky High, cheering, talking, yelling, and whooping. It was the last day of school. Sunshine fell down unhindered by clouds, and the dislodge of students dissipated onto the school's front lawn. While everyone struggled to find their clique, Warren Peace leaned against one of the cement statues commemorating another one of the great heroes they were supposed to know all about from hours of Hero History. Will, his boyfriend, was floating ten feet up in the air, serving as a beacon for their friends. Magenta was the first to find them, dragging a very smitten Zack behind her.

"Hey, there's Warren!" Zack said, giving a wave to the newest member of their circle. "But how did you know he was here?" he asked his girlfriend. She rolled her eyes upwards, and Zack's followed the motion in her gaze.

"Oh." He said, abashed. "Hey Will."

His friend nodded, and continued to levitate, scanning the crowd for Layla and Ethan. They arrived a moment later, having followed Magenta and Zack vicariously through their brightly-colored ensembles. Ethan was out of breath, and Layla was her usual rosy-cheeked and smiling self.

"So, what are you guys doing for summer break?" Layla asked, now sitting cross-legged on the grass.

There was a long-standing policy on the last day of the school year at Sky High to allow the students one whole hour to socialize before two months of separation. The group was contentedly lounging about in the broad shadow of the statue Warren had been leaning on. Now he was sitting on the lush lawn of the school with his legs outstretched, and his boyfriend's head in his lap. Zack had his arms locked around Magenta's elegant waist, which she would probably tolerate only for the next ten minutes, even though she loved it.

"My Mom got me into a summer science camp at her work." Ethan said. "But truth be told, I'm not that interested." Eyebrows flew up all over the place.

"_You_ not interested in science? What's wrong?" Will asked.

"My Mom's weird." He offered in explanation.

Divorcee Emily Turner, formerly Emily Drummond, worked at NASA as an astro-physicist. The only thing she and her son shared was select genes and a love for science. Her ex-husband had been a superhero, and neither of them had been able to adjust to the others lifestyle. Thus their relationship ended in an earth-shattering divorce battle over the house, the cars, the investments, but not Ethan. He'd felt left-behind ever since that joyous family court hearing, when neither of his parents declared an irrevocable need to have him. He figured he had to give his Mom some credit for trying to engage with him though, and for accepting his lack of astounding superpowers.

"At least she doesn't try to set you up with mushy, wimpy, dual-powered brunettes." Warren joked, giving Will an affectionate smack on the stomach. Will feigned hurt with a perfect pout and creased brow. The effect was ruined when he burst into laughter at Warren's trademark smirk.

"What about you flower-girl?" Warren asked.

"I'll be volunteering at my Mom's vet clinic, but other than that I'm free." She said nonchalantly as pink carnations and azaleas sprang up around them.

"I've got nothing." Zack said. Magenta elbowed him in the ribs. "Except for dates with my awesome girlfriend." He quickly added.

"Two months of free-time for watching movies, eating junk food, and not doing work." Magenta said with a very rare smile plastered onto her face by purple-painted lips.

"I'll be working three-on/four-off at the Paper Lantern, and spending most of my days off terrorizing Stronghold."

"My Dad's got that covered – he wants to go camping for two whole weeks. Kill me now." Will whined.

"Get a summer job, then you can't go. There's no way they'll give you two weeks off when they only have you for two months." Ethan suggested.

"He'll insist that I work at his and my Mom's office, in which case I _will_ get two weeks off for the _ridiculous_ camping trip."

"Suck it up babe." Warren said.

The hour passed far too quickly for anyone's liking except for Boomer and Medula. The two steered students onto the buses and rooted cliques out of their hiding spots. The school year was over, and no one was looking forward to kicking up their heels more than the staff of the school. Medula had once again managed to keep his summer school schedule clear, which had caught the attention of Principal Powers. He was anxious to escape the school parking lot before she found him.

Maxville was buzzing with the spirit of summer. Picnics, barbecues, fireworks on most nights of the week, and students complaining about summer reading assignments floated through the air as threads of the season. Not everyone was celebrating the warm weather though.

"We're getting weaker by the second!" the black-haired man yelled. He was lean, pale, and his eyes were the iciest shade of blue. "We have one week until the summer solstice! One week to enact our plan, and you've uncovered absolutely no information useful to us!"

The object of his intense, momentary hatred was the pretty, young, blonde girl sitting at the table across from him. Her eyes were the same crystalline blue, and her skin was just as milky pale and opaque. The girl flinched, causing her sleek stands of blonde hair to rustle. The angry man turned to the only other male sitting at the elegant dining room table.

"Please tell me _you've_ got something for me Lucian." He demanded. The boy had the same blonde hair as the girl, but his eyes were black and his skin was tinged just a shade or two darker.

"Father, I beg your pardon, but I think you have misunderstood me." The girl cut him off before he could even open his mouth to speak. "I said that I did not know how to retrieve the crystal form its hiding place, not that I did not know where it is hidden." Her smile was sickeningly sweet and bitterly cold. The man with the dark hair's features changed instantly. A smile spread slowly over his face, and he turned back to his daughter, all trace of his former anger vanished.

"Then enlighten us Monica, where is the crystal?"

"Steve stronghold embedded it in King Kamaya Mayhem's surfboard." She answered.

"Then why don't we just break into the Stronghold's house and steal it?" her brother asked impatient and frustrated. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Because it's not there Milo, you imbecile. The Strongholds loaned out that particular piece of their collection to NASA, to study how its previous owner used it to increase his strength and power." Monica answered.

"Milo, Monica, be civil. Which of you can tell me how King Kamaya Mayhem's surfboard increased his abilities?" he looked at each of his children in turn. Neither offered a reply. Monica averted her eyes to her plate. Miles focused on an all-blue portrait hanging on the opposite wall.

"He subverted the ice-based powers in the crystal inside of the fire-based power of his surfboard. It's not that it made him stronger, it just made him invulnerable to ice – the first thing anyone could think to throw at him."

The voice came from a girl leaning in the doorway. Her hair fell in soft red-brown curls half-way down her back. Her eyes were a vibrant green, and her lips were set into a firm line. She was wearing a black leather jacket over a purple t-shirt, blue jeans, and black boots.

"Elizabeth." The man said, gesturing for her to come closer. She stayed put, and he stared at her coolly.

"Morgan." She said in greeting.

"What is she doing here?" Monica demanded snottily.

"I assigned her to monitor the movements of Will Stronghold and his little gang. After all, they threw quite a wrench into Sue's plans this fall, don't you remember?" Morgan replied. He nodded to Elizabeth, and she was gone in a flash of black leather and dark-tinted blue jeans.

"Can she be trusted?" Milo hissed the question to his father.

"It's not as if she remembers, and besides, the resemblance is not that profound. Even if the boy does notice, it will only unnerve him and make it easier for us to work our plan. Now stop flapping your tongues and start being useful to me." His voice turned deadly cold at the last sentence.

His children got up from the table and left him alone. He took his glass of wine in his hand, and made a toasting gesture to the largest portrait in the room. It was of a blonde-haired and blue-eyes woman, much like Monica.

"To you Maria. It's all for you."


End file.
